Growing for Success | Home garden escapees: wild blooms, wild problems

However, it was also a stark reminder of what can happen when plants escape from home gardens.

The flowers growing so prolifically along the roadside were Gazania rigens, or as they are commonly called, treasure flowers.

Native to the coastal areas of South Africa, they are extremely hardy and seed prolifically, germinating readily even in poor soils or gravel.

This display of gazanias likely originated in someone’s garden or a public plantation and spread from there.

I’ve observed similar vibrant displays between Swan Hill and Mildura and even in train-shunting yards around Melbourne, yet nothing seems to be done about them.

Perhaps their beauty during summer or the remoteness of their growing locations contributes to the lack of action.

Nevertheless, one must wonder about their impact on the local environment.

Many plants grown in home gardens have the potential to cause similar environmental issues.

It is the responsibility of reputable garden centres and conscientious gardeners to understand which plants fall into this category in their region.

Whether by not stocking problematic plants, offering sterile varieties or educating customers on plant care to prevent spread, everyone has a role to play.

A walk along riverside paths reveals several problematic plants in our area.

These include boxleaf maples (Acer negundo), Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis), Chinese fan palms (Livistona chinensis), angel’s trumpets (Brugmansia), English ivy (Hedera helix), Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum), Arum Lilies (Zantedeschia), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) and agapanthus (Agapanthus praecox orientalis).

These are just a few found along riverside reserves in and around Shepparton and Mooroopna.

There are alternatives for most of these plants, as well as precautions that can be taken for others, but plants such as morning glory should simply not be grown.

For example, new sterile varieties of gazania are now available that won’t become invasive.

Acer negundo Sensation is a beautiful boxleaf maple that puts on a stunning autumn display and has sterile flowers.

Sterile varieties of agapanthus, such as Black Panther, Queen Mother, Snowstorm, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Snowball and Back in Black, offer a display as good as, if not better than, the original invasive varieties.

Plants such as Ligustrum japonicum, often mistaken for lilly pilly, are a significant problem in this area.

They produce hundreds of blackberries each year, which are consumed by birds that disperse the seeds everywhere.

These plants grow rapidly, reaching five to six metres within a couple of years.

Such plants should not be grown at all.

Once identified, they should be removed before they have a chance to flower and set berries, preventing further spread.

Palms, such as Chinese fan palms and Canary Island date palms, produce large bunches of fruit with viable seeds in the Goulburn Valley.

These seeds germinate readily, giving the palms invasive potential.

While the plants are young, seed bunches should be removed before they mature.

However, once the palms grow too large for this to be practical, care must be taken to remove any seedlings that germinate in the surrounding area.

When selecting plants for your garden or maintaining an established one, consider appropriate choices.

Birds and animals can distribute seeds into nearby gardens and bushland, causing problems for neighbours and the environment.

This includes native plants that are not endemic to the area.

Problem plants can also spread through vegetative material, such as pruning off-cuts.

It is essential to dispose of garden waste responsibly — not by dumping it down embankments, in vacant blocks or in roadside reserves or bushland.

With some advice, awareness and responsible action, we can embrace and enjoy the wide range of plants that grow well in our area.

By making informed choices, local gardeners can design and grow diverse gardens that meet their needs while avoiding problems for future generations.